Abstract

Juvenile polyps are relatively common lesions in the gastrointestinal tract as a solitary lesion. The exact nature of juvenile polyps is unclear, but many authors regard these as inflammatory lesions or as hamartomas which become secondarily inflamed. Multiple juvenile polyposis is characterized by a large numbers of these lesions. Although juvenile polyps are not usually considered to be premalignant lesions, recently the neoplastic potential of multiple juvenile polyposis has been emphasized. Two cases of multiple polyposis which have foci of both adenomatous and juvenile features with associated carcinoma are described. Special review about the pathogenesis of juvenile polyposis and their relationship to colonic adenoma and adenocarcinoma will be done.